1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to fire extinguishers in general and, more particularly, to a means of strategically and conveniently storing such fire extinguishers in an out-of-the-way local while still meeting local codes and providing for their immediate accessibility should the need arise.
2. General Background
The art relating to fire extinguishers and their supporting structure is quite varied. U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,429 issued to Heller, et al., discloses a perforated hose that is coiled together well above the floor of a building or the like. A foil strip retains the coil intact; but should a fire occur, the foil strip will fail thereby allowing the hose to freely hang downward while water or some other extinguishing material is emitted from its perforations.
Japanese Patent No. 6-54922 issued to Kameoka discloses a variation of this in that a fire hydrant is installed in the ceiling with its door facing downward. Upon the opening of the door, the hose becomes immediately available to anyone located underneath.
With respect to cylindrical fire extinguishers, U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,822 issued to Hattenhauer discloses a wall cabinet for the safe storage of such cylinders.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,157 issued to Thomas also discloses a wall-supported cylindrical fire extinguisher. In this version, the cylinder is pivotally mounted such that it can rotate about a vertical axis. Its hose, being extra long, is coiled around the body of the cylinder such that when the need arises, the hose is simply uncoiled from around the cylinder thereby causing the cylinder to spin about its vertical axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,274 issued to Simpson discloses another wall-supported fire extinguisher cabinet that incorporates a decorative housing so that the cabinet is more aesthetically pleasing. Upon the detection of a fire, its door slides down thereby revealing the extinguisher inside.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,586,687 and No. 5,354,029 both issued to Ziaylek, Jr., and No. 432,545 issued to Morse demonstrate the variation in elements.
Many of these devices are attempts to conceal the fire extinguishing equipment from view or to remove such equipment from normal access. While they may each function as designed, they often require elaborate set-up and sometimes are not readily available for inspection, visual or otherwise. Also, in some cases, these devices are not suitable for outdoor installation or installations involving more extreme environments. These devices are also not generally adaptable for use in open bays or other open areas of a building or overhang.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive manner of storing cylindrical fire extinguishers in a great many different locals.
A further object of this invention is to provide a means of storing such extinguishers in a manner that is readily available should the need arise, but which is out-of-the-way during normal day-to-day activities.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fire extinguisher dispenser that conforms with the rules and regulations relating to such material.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a system that can be used outdoors as well as in other locations that may include environmental extremes.
A further object of this invention is provide a dispensing mechanism that relies upon gravity for operation, thereby being basically fail-safe.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing mechanism that can be installed anywhere in large open bays rather than being limited solely against a wall or column or the like, thereby freeing up such space for other uses while also protecting the cylinder from accidental abuse or damage. These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become obvious upon further investigation.